Phoning in sick on Christmas Day?

[themanors]

I work as a receptionist in a hotel
I have been told as the newest member of the team I will be working Christmas Day months in advance.
It's 11am -11 pm shift and the same Christmas Eve (my birthday)
It's minimum wage and we won't get paid extra.
My dad is 87 and isn't in the best health and I'm his only family
I'm really scared that this might be his last Christmas and I'm wasting it at work for a company who doesn't care
I asked to swap and was told no
I asked if anyone else wanted to work was told no

Aibu to phone in sick?
Il just add I'm not workshy
I never ring in sick

YABU but clearly you don’t think so.

It is rubbish but if you work in many different jobs including hospitality then chances are you will work on Christmas Day. And unfortunately it’s often the case that the newest person draws the short straw.

I’ve worked several Christmas Days, so has my dad. He’s a single parent and yes it’s rubbish but it is what it is. We have just celebrated on whatever the closest available day is.

You need to look for a different job and tell them you have holiday plans on Christmas Day. If you pull a sickie you’ll likely need a new job anyway as you could well be fired.

You and your dad are both grown ups. It's an arbitrary date. Do Christmas on Boxing Day or look for another job. You've had 12 pages of people basically telling you that.

I wouldn't do it but I'd be changing jobs rather than dropping a colleague in it.

There is plenty of time to find another job,maybe in retail as Christmas vacancies will be starting soon,but make sure you don’t have to work over Christmas.

you’d be out of order to ring in sick Christmas Day and be so hard faced to go back in afterwards as though nothing happened.

if you didn’t want to work during public holidays then you should have thought about that before taking the job.

This establishment is charging premium rates for Christmas as you would expect. But I thought the extortionate prices to stay in a hotel or eat in a restaurant over Christmas would be partly necessary to cover the premium wages the would have to pay. This company appears to want its cake and eat it. Op I know it's not just the money and you are right to want to prioritise your special time with your Dad. I'd leave there as soon as you can. I don't know what area you're in but hopefully there's plenty more jobs around that won't be making such demands.

You’re not sick though, no one will believe you’re sick and this is what you have to deal with taking shift work. Grow the hell up.

They open Christmas Day so people can travel and visit their families for Christmas!

OP I fully understand you not wanting to work on Christmas Day. However you have taken on this role which requires you to work on that day. It is perfectly reasonable to try and negotiate with your manager or to say outright you won't be working all day both Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. However, it is not reasonable to call in sick on Christmas Day if you are not sick and no point commenting about the operations of the hotel as that is not up to you.

They are BU by expecting a new person to do a 12 hour shift without extra pay. You should be getting double time, and there should be 3 people doing 4 hour shifts or so, so no one's Xmas is completely ruined.

If the people you're letting down are the same ones who control these decisions, or if the more senior staff have engineered not having to work, then absolutely phone in sick.

You sound immature and entitled and I am glad you dont work for me!
Do it, try to negotiate one of the two days or leave.

How old are you, OP? Given your father's age, I would expect you to be middle-aged, but your posts read as if you're a very young adult who is only just discovering how unfair the world of work can be.

Other posters have said this in a million ways, but you're not listening: work can be shit. You either work through the shitty bits, or you leave.

You're being a bit silly and sound very young.

If you're sure you're not BU why even post?

Well, you have a few choices

1. find a new job, with a working pattern that suits you
2. accept a new job is hard to find and ask your dad if he minds celebrating Christmas with you at a different time 3)accept a new job is hard to find but pull a sicky and risk being sacked - and find it even harder to find a new job.

it doesn't sound fair, and I wouldn't be happy, but I would be going with option 1.

I'd see right through it and sack you on the spot.

I agree that the 12 hour shifts both days and no extra pay is pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable. My feeling is that there is something better for the OP out there so she should not waste time and energy trying to change her employer’s and colleague’s minds but get on with finding a new job.
Also, I’m afraid the fact that the OP’s birthday coincides with Christmas and her DF’s age are not the employer’s problem.

Christmas eve is classed as a normal working day! So no reason why staff wouldn’t be expected to work both that and Christmas Day. Boxing Day is a public holiday so you expy to be off then if you worked Christmas Day. In your circumstances I wouldn’t wasn’t to do it either but you have time to sort it rather than phone in sick on the day !

You've told us how you feel. Look for another job now. That's the solution.

Have you told them that you are your dads only carer?

You signed your contract in hospitality - that involves working Christmas day sometimes, that's what you signed up for. If you can't do it then find another job that isn't in hospitality (or healthcare).

It’s rubbish OP, I really do think that any business that doesn’t HAVE to be open over Xmas shouldnt be. I used to work in hospitality and because I didn’t have kids I always had to work Christmas Day. It made me sick knowing every member of staff there was wasting the day just to make money for someone else. Lets be honest, most of the general staff in hospitality are there because it’s the only job they can get at that time not because its a ‘career choice’. Ive never gone out for a meal on Xmas day just because it’s not something I want to support.

I can understand your concerns about your dad but I'm going to be blunt and say this is a dick move and your being very unreasonable. You took on a job knowing where working Christmas day would happen. People with families all over the world have to work Christmas day and celebrate on another day and you're no different. All you phoning in sick means is someone else has to cover your shift, it's an incredibly selfish thing to do.

If you don't want to work Christmas then find a new job. Your family situation isn't the responsibility of your employers to facilitate and phoning in sick shows a lack of respect to your colleagues and immaturity on your part.

He will be on his own for 12 hours on Christmas day from 11am to 11pm. I would be upset if no one was bending and willing to share the hours with me. It sounds like a toxic environment to work in. I would call in sick if it was me or tell them to stick their job up their arse.

I really wouldn’t unless you can prove it with a proper medical certificate. It’s not fair on your colleagues.

YABVU, it's part of your job. I've had to work Christmas day before and I'm a single parent.

Find another job that fits in with your life. You could try warehouse work they should be closed Christmas day.